Press Conference 25 April 2006

Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on nominating Iraqi new Prime Minister and others

Statement by the Press Secretary on the deteriorating situation in the Kingdom of Nepal

Japan-Austria Joint Press Statement on the occasion of the visit by Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel of the Republic of Austria to Japan

The 2nd Meeting of the Joint Study Group for the Japan-Vietnam Economic Partnership Agreement

Dispatch of special envoy for the presidential inauguration ceremony in the Republic of Costa Rica

Grant aid (food aid) to the Republic of Maldives

14th Town Meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Questions concerning remarks by President Roh Moo Hyun of the Republic of Korea on Takeshima Island

Questions concerning realignment of US forces

Statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations on nominating Iraqi new Prime Minister and others

Deputy Press Secretary Tomohiko Taniguchi: Good morning. Let me begin this morning's press conference as usual by making an inventory check of the statements and announcements that have gone out since last Friday.

The first one is the statement by the Press Secretary/Director-General for Press and Public Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the nomination of the new Prime Minister in Iraq and others. The statement goes as follows:

On 22 April, the Iraqi National Assembly was held. Mr. Mahmoud al-Mashhadani (Sunni) was elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly, and Mr. Jalal Talabani (Kurdish), the current President, was elected as the President. And, Mr. Talabani nominated Mr. Jawad al-Maliki (Shiite) as the candidate of the Prime Minister. Japan welcomes this as an important step forward to form a new government under the harmonious coordination among religious and ethnic groups.

Japan expects that Members of Cabinet will be nominated, and stable government will be formed soon.

Statement by the Press Secretary on the deteriorating situation in the Kingdom of Nepal

Mr. Taniguchi: The next one is also a Press Secretary's statement about the situation in the Kingdom of Nepal.

Japan expresses its grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the Kingdom of Nepal, where the people's demonstration continues after the speech made by His Majesty King Gyanendra.

Japan hopes that the restoration of democracy will be realized peacefully, and calls upon all parties to act with self-restraint. Japan also hopes that the parties involved will continue their dialogue to the end so as to find a solution which meets the expectation of the Nepalese people.

Japan-Austria Joint Press Statement on the occasion of the visit by Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel of the Republic of Austria to Japan

Mr. Taniguchi: Now, about a joint statement, the Japan-Austria Joint Press Statement on the occasion of the visit by Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel of the Republic of Austria to Japan.

His Excellency Dr. Wolfgang Schuessel, Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, visited Japan from 23 to 25 April 2006, on the occasion of the 15th Japan-EU Summit Meeting held in Tokyo yesterday, on 24 April. The statement was issued yesterday, and the full text has been uploaded, in English, on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You can find the text at: http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/europe/austria/joint0604.html.

The 2nd Meeting of the Joint Study Group for the Japan-Vietnam Economic Partnership Agreement

Mr. Taniguchi: The next one is an announcement about the 2nd Meeting of the Joint Study Group for the Japan-Vietnam Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA). The first meeting was held in February, and this one is going to be the second. It is going to be held from 26 to 28 April for three days here in Tokyo at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Dispatch of special envoy for the presidential inauguration ceremony in the Republic of Costa Rica

Mr. Taniguchi: The next announcement is that the Government of Japan is going to send a special envoy to the Republic of Costa Rica for the presidential inauguration ceremony on 8 May. Mr. Oscar Alias Sanchez is going to be inaugurated into office on 8 May, and to join the ceremony, the Japanese Government is going to send Mr. Yoshinori Ono, a member of the House of Representatives as well as the Secretary-General of the League of Parliamentarians between Japan and Central American and Caribbean States.

Mr. Taniguchi: The next one is about a grant aid (food aid) to the Republic of Maldives. The Japanese Government has decided to extend grant aid (food aid) of up to 140 million yen (approximately US$1.2 million) to the Republic of Maldives, which has continued to suffer from food shortage since the country was hit by a massive tsunami shortly after Christmas in 2004. The exchange of notes was conducted on 21 April (Fri) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, between Mr. Akio Suda, Japanese Ambassador to the Republic of Moldives based in Sri Lanka, and Dr. Mohamed Asim, High Commissioner of the Republic of Maldives in the Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka.

Mr. Taniguchi: Now, in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going to hold a town meeting featuring Minister for Foreign Affairs Taro Aso. That is going to be held on 11 June at the WelCity Kokura. Foreign Minister Aso is going to talk to the citizens on the theme of "Prospect for Japan's Diplomacy."

Questions concerning remarks by President Roh Moo Hyun of the Republic of Korea on Takeshima Island

Q: I would like to ask you a question about how the Japanese Government is going to react to this morning's remark by the President of the Republic of Korea (ROK). Especially, he referred to the disputed island called Takeshima by Japanese and Dokdo by Koreans. In his remark, he said that it was ROK's given right to register Korean names. What is your reaction to all of this?

Mr. Taniguchi: I cannot give you my reaction at the moment because I have not read the full text. I have read reports reported by the news agencies of the ROK, and I have noted some strong words were used there. However, I am not in a position to make a comment. I would like to take more time to examine the full text.

Our position, so far as Takeshima is concerned, has been clear. It is Japan's consistent position that both in light of historical facts and international law, Takeshima is clearly an integral part of Japan. The issue must be resolved peacefully, and it is Japan's policy that the Government will aim tenaciously to resolve this dispute through diplomatic channels and explore effective means by taking all factors into consideration. That is the continued policy of the Japanese Government.

Q: Over the weekend, from Friday to Saturday, diplomatic effort was made regarding this issue. Do you think this problem is still ongoing, especially because the ROK President made this address on national TV.

Mr. Taniguchi: You said diplomatic effort was made to solve this issue. The issue that they were looking at was primarily focused on the re-naming of the underwater structures. They were not directly addressing the territorial issue of Takeshima.

Q: At the same time, the ROK President said, you might not have read the whole statement, but the ROK President said that it is ROK's given right to register the names of the area. In that case, does that not bring the whole issue back to the starting point?

Mr. Taniguchi: There is going to be a talk scheduled in May between the director generals of both governments. It is hoped that this is going to be held sooner rather than later to discuss the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). If the EEZ is clearly agreed by both parties, it is going to be the natural right of the ROK Government to name the structures underwater so long as they belong to their own EEZ. That is the focal point. The Japanese and ROK Governments have to sit together to see where the demarcation line is to be drawn between the two nations so that the EEZs for both nations are going to be clearly understood by the two parties.

Q: After careful examination of the text of the ROK President's remark this morning, do you think that the Japanese Government may have to react to this, considering the method through which the ROK President made this kind of remark on the various issues between Japan and the ROK?

Mr. Taniguchi: I have no idea frankly at the moment. We are still looking at the text and examining that. It is too early for me to make a judgment about it.

Q: I understand that you have not read the special statement, but I just wanted to ask, in the special statement, President Roh Moo Hyun also mentioned that even if the economic and cultural exchanges between Japan and the ROK are making progress, this would not resolve the gap between the nations on historical issues. I understand that Foreign Minister Aso has said repeatedly that even if there are problems, Japan-ROK relations are still good in terms of cultural and economic exchanges. The ROK President's remark seems to run counter to what Foreign Minister Aso has been saying.

Mr. Taniguchi: As I said, I should really refrain myself from making any direct comment to President Roh's remark. In general terms, you may want to recall that many women in this country, old and young, still think Korean men are sexier. Lee Seung Yeop is a star for the Yomiuri Giants (Japanese baseball team), so people-to-people exchanges are at the bottom line of the good relationship. Judging from those aspects, I think the bilateral relationship is in pretty good shape.

Q: Does the Japanese Government see this remark by the ROK President as a kind of surprise? Was it unexpected, especially after the recent negotiations about the naming of the area? Did you have any expectations that the ROK President would make such a remark right after such negotiations were held? If it was a surprise or unexpected, do you think it could hamper some sort of negotiations between the two nations on these issues?

Mr. Taniguchi: To say that you are surprised is one way to express your emotion. This is not an occasion to express any sort of emotion from the Japanese Government. Everything has to be dealt in a very much cool-headed fashion rather than emotionally. That is my general remark.

Q: Was it unexpected?

Mr. Taniguchi: I do not know. Some might have been surprised, others might not have been surprised. I cannot give you an overall blanket statement about it.

Q: It is too early for the Government of Japan or you as the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry to comment, but do you see it as a kind of obstacle to the talks on this issue between the two governments?

Mr. Taniguchi: Bilateral relationships, again in general terms, for any given two countries tend to have many problems, sometimes obstacles, and they have to be overcome by diplomatic channels, by diplomatic talks, and again in a very much cool-headed fashion. I think that is the motto equally shared by Japan and the ROK. That is the reason why we solved the contentious issue over the last weekend.

Q: Minister of State for Defense Fukushiro Nukaga and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld of the United States (US) reached an agreement on Sunday on the last major obstacle. How much was the Foreign Ministry involved in this?

Mr. Taniguchi: It is obvious that the last agreement was made between the US Secretary of Defense and the head of the Japan Defense Agency (JDA). In that sense it was done between the JDA and DOD. But you should not forget that throughout the period the Foreign Ministry has been fully involved in the whole process.

Q: Can we expect the whole plan to be finalized during the senior working-level meetings?